Livin’ la vida local

by duluth, June 23, 2009 | Permalink

Local food is “in.” Those who seek out food that is produced locally even have their own spiffy word: locavore. It’s so spiffy that the Oxford University Press selected locavore as their 2007 word of the year.  It sprang from the keyboard of blogger Jessica Prentice, who derived it from two Latin words that literally mean “one who swallows or devours the place.”

I share that bit of internet history with you because I think it defines the desire of hungry locavores everywhere. They are hungry not only for luscious heirloom tomatoes but for a sense of place, a permanence that our constantly kinetic society lacks.  If your family moved so frequently when you were a child that you have a hard time defining your hometown, then you know what I mean. Food is comfort—a connection.

I was lucky to be raised in the home of two of Georgia’s greatest locavores ever. I’ve touched on this in a prior post, but it bears repeating that my grandmother and mother were persistent in tracking down the freshest products in season.  From them I learned the seasons of food: the first bite of a peach bursting with sweet natural sugar, a pumpkin stout with fibrous orange meat, the plump perfection of a coastal shrimp dipped in a homemade tartar sauce.  I can tell the difference between a Vidalia and a Texas sweet with one bite.  I have been hauled from Dunwoody to Augusta to Hiawassee to Forsyth and back simply to shop for food!

Our Whole Foods Market Johns Creek will save you from that kind of driving. We’re diligent in our commitment to local produce and vendors, and providing you novice locavores with your own food sense of place. This Saturday from 12 pm to 4 pm we’re having a special event, “Taste of our South”, that’ll introduce you to some of the best products from Georgia and our local region. You’ll get to meet the nice folks from Ambos Seafood, who’re going to be cooking up those plumply perfect Georgia shrimp.  Our grill will be fired up with brats and franks made with Harris Family Heritage Farms’ grass fed beef from Bluffton and pork from Thompson Farms in Dixie. You can learn how to cook purple sweet potatoes, rub on Organikah’s body butter, and sample the cheesy goodness of Sweet Oven’s rolls.  We’ll have milk and butter from the Jersey cows at Sparkman’s Dairy in Moultrie, the fresh goodness of Canton-based Sweetwater herbal oils, and Ashiki’s Supreme sweet treats made right here in Atlanta. And no, we didn’t forget the wine—or the beer—from Georgia wineries and breweries such as Habersham Wineries or Terrapin Brewing Company.

So whether you were born a locavore or would like to learn more about eating local come in and see us on the 27^th.  Bring your appetite.  There’s never been a better time to “devour the place!”

All you need is (Rotisserie Chicken) love

by duluth, June 10, 2009 | Permalink

So as you can gather from last week’s blog, I’m really on a dinner strike in my kitchen. Odd as it may sound sometimes even a food writer just wants to get away from, you know, cooking something. I was pondering yet another way to get out of standing over a hot oven when I walked by the rotisserie chicken display in our store. You see, it needs some love.  That’s when I realized there’s all kinds of menu treasures in that hot case.  Shredded or whole, each chicken will yield approximately 4 cups of meat, so it’ll definitely feed a family of four.

Take our marinated lemon and rosemary rotisserie chicken. Shred it off the bone and chop it, then add herbs de Provence, a little Dijon mustard, some of our 365 Everyday Value™ mayonnaise and a quick squirt of lemon juice.  Ooh la la—you’ve got French Twist Chicken Salad. Perfect with some of our bakery’s croissants and a side salad. Did you cook? No. Are you a culinary genius? Oui.

Or you can make a barbeque picnic with a twist.  Put shredded lemon pepper rotisserie chicken on top of baked beans and coleslaw layered in a glass bowl with deep sides, or spoon into individual soup bowls. Top with your favorite barbeque sauce, and garnish with a pickle wedge. You’ve got a great portable BBQ “cocktail”, North Carolina style.  Be sure to keep it in a cooler if you take dinner outdoors.

The naked rotisserie chicken is so versatile. It’s a great topper for tacos when the meat is tossed and chopped with a light dusting of taco seasoning.  You can grab a 365 Everyday Value™ pizza crust in the bakery shelf to the left of the rotisserie chicken counter, and make a homemade chicken pizza, too.  Prefer your chicken whole? The salt and pepper-flavored chicken is great with side dishes in the Prepared Foods case. Try the Gazpacho Salad or the 3-Pepper Pesto Pasta.

And if you just can’t tear yourself away from the stovetop, we can at least cut your time in the hotspot. Toss shredded garlic-herb chicken with a whole wheat pasta and either an alfredo or pesto sauce.  All you have to cook is the pasta.  For a quick gumbo, use the Cajun rosemary chicken as its base. You’ll have to cook the rice and the vegetables, but the hard stuff is done.

 So take home one of our Rotisserie birds and get creative.  If you come up with a new recipe please share it here! Don’t forget to add the love.

All Hail the Earl of Sandwich

by duluth, June 3, 2009 | Permalink

I dread the thought of cooking dinner at the end of a hot summer day.  It just doesn’t make sense to fire up the oven after you’ve been sitting in the percolator that is Atlanta traffic during June, July or August. Luckily we can thank one ingenious man who, back in the 1700’s, had the good sense (or laziness, depending on your point of view) to compact his meals into one neat, handheld form. Ladies and gentlemen, all hail the Earl of Sandwich.

The Earl’s real name was Sir John Montagu. He was the fourth British aristocrat that carried the title and by all accounts he was a hardworking man. This 18^th century workaholic was so dedicated to his job that he was reluctant to leave his desk (and by some accounts, the gaming table) even to eat. He requested that a slice of meat be delivered to him between two slices of bread. His cronies were so impressed by his ingenuity they too began to ask for “the Earl’s Sandwich”—and thus a food trend was born. In truth this story may have been heavily embellished, but unless you have a better grasp of 18^th century history (i.e., you were there), I’m sticking with the legend. It’s way more fun.

Anyway, the Earl has saved countless folks from slaving over a hot oven or stove.  Lately I’ve been scouting out some great recipes and products in our Whole Foods Market in Johns Creek that may come to your rescue, too. For example, we’ve got this great new cheese. It’s a New Zealand grass-fed cheddar cheese that’s smooth as silk and creamy to the taste—and right now it’s only $2.99 a pound. Slice it up and put it atop one of our whole-grain breads, top it with some juicy sliced tomatoes, pop it into a toaster-broiler and voila! You’ve got a fabulous grilled cheese.  For chicken salad without the roasting (you OR the chicken), pick up one of our rotisserie chickens. The meat you pull off the bones should yield around 4 cups. Mix with our 365 Everyday Value ™ Mayonnaise and Dijon Mustard—it’s on sale—then add your favorites, like sliced grapes, crushed pecans, relish, or slivered almonds. Experiment with herbs. I love the fresh earthy, grassy flavor of tarragon. You might want to try dill or rosemary, too.

What’s a perfect side dish? Check out our 365 Everyday Value™ Summer Madness Sale (if you visit the store all the items are displayed together near our Captain’s Counter restaurant.) Besides the condiments I mentioned above, we’ve got baked beans, kettle cooked potato chips and other items all made with fresh wholesome ingredients and no artificial anything. You can even pick up your paper napkins and plates in the same spot so that you can picnic NOW, before the bugs find you.

So take it easy on hot summer nights.  Just don’t forget to lift your sandwiches in a toast to the Earl!